Archive | New Releases

Mandy Robotham
London, 1952. Seven years after the chaotic aftermath of World War II, London has is coming alive again, with jazz clubs and flickering cinema awnings lighting up the night sky. But for widowed Helen ‘Dexie’ Dexter, she’s still a woman in a man’s world. She longs to prove herself as an officer in the London Metropolitan Police, yet she’s stuck intervening in domestics and making tea for her male colleagues.

Then Harri Schroder arrives, seconded from Hamburg to the Met. Haunted by the loss of his wife and child, Harri is unlike any man Dexie has ever known. Compassionate and sharp-witted, he sees her not as a threat, but as an intelligent, canny officer full of potential.

And when Harri is tasked with hunting down a Nazi war criminal-turned-respected-businessman, with connections to the upper echelons of British society, it’s Dexie he turns to for help.

But as their bond deepens, a deadly fog engulfs London. Dexie and Harri must expose the fugitive before he vanishes, risking everything for justice – and each other…

Geoff Parkes
‘She wasn’t the first and she wouldn’t be the last; swallowed into the deep, dark recesses of the King Country bush, never to be seen again.’ It’s January 1983. During his university summer break, Ryan Bradley returns to the remote town of Nashville in New Zealand’s rugged King Country.

It’s a bittersweet he’s working long, punishing hours as a wool-presser, he needs to sell his late mother’s house, and he’s increasingly feeling like an outcast in his childhood town. But mostly he’s haunted by memories of Sanna Sovernen, a Finnish backpacker and his secret lover, who worked with him in the shearing shed the summer before – then vanished without trace.

Now Sanna’s sister Emilia has arrived from Finland, determined to get answers – and as he’s the workmate who reported Sanna missing, she wants Ryan’s help. Because Emilia knows her sister was not the first female traveller in the area to disappear . . .

Paul A. MacNamara
Inside Juvie plunges readers into the eye-opening journey of Tommy, a former state school teacher now navigating the tumultuous world of juvenile detention. Transitioning from teaching adults in prisons to stepping into classrooms within youth incarceration facilities is a far cry from the predictability and safety of traditional education.

Amidst the chaos, violence, and fleeting moments of connection, Tommy rides a gritty roller-coaster, encountering unexpected breakthroughs amidst the turmoil. The stories are both heartbreaking and compelling: a 12-year-old who has never known the security of three meals a day, a young detainee who waits in vain for a mother’s visit that never comes, and the frightening escalations of violence that trigger duress alarms, security guards and devastating consequences.

With a candid blend of darkness, hope, and humour, Inside Juvie explores the intricacies of the youth justice system. It sheds light on the harsh realities, diverse backgrounds, and daunting challenges faced by incarcerated youth, as well as the teachers who strive to reach them. This book promises readers a compelling journey through the often overlooked and misunderstood realm of juvenile detention.

Richard Goding
When Richard Gosling’s young daughter faced emergency surgery, a colleague carelessly asked what would happen if she died. In that moment, Richard was forced to picture his own daughter’s funeral, and the people who are there to help families after the worst has happened.

Aged 40, Richard left his job in the public service and started preparing coffins, driving hearses, assisting in the mortuary and bringing in the deceased from hospitals and nursing homes, slowly working his way up to become operations manager of a venerable Sydney funeral home.

After the Worst Has Happened lifts the curtain on a world we all try to avoid but must pass through. It shows the lighter side of death amid all its other facets, as Richard steers families through heartbreak, anger and grief while holding space for love and acceptance. Ultimately, it’s about how extraordinarily beautiful it can be to spend a daily life surrounded by our final rite of passage.

Susan Duncan
From the author of the bestselling Sleepless in Stringybark Bay, this new book celebrates life, love, community and the power of forgiveness. When former journalist turned café owner Kate Jackson abandons her six-month-old baby and disappears without a word, the quirky offshore community of Cook’s Basin quickly steps in to salvage a delicate and difficult situation. But even the best intentions can go horribly awry.

Relationships are tested, loyalties divided and the future of the beloved Briny Café, the beating heart of the community, comes under threat. It takes a group of bossy retirees to navigate the brittle twists and turns of the grim past to point the way towards a hopeful future.

Wrapped in the colourful culture of a boat-access community, Finding Joy in Oyster Bay, the final book in the Cook’s Basin series, celebrates life, love, community and the power of forgiveness.

Jessica Dettmann
Family is forever, and there’s nothing you can do about it. The charming, hilarious and all-too-relatable new novel from the author of How to be Second Best Molly’s a millennial home organiser about to have her first baby. Obviously her mum, Annie, will help with the childcare. Everyone else’s parents are doing it.

But Annie’s dreams of music stardom have been on hold for thirty-five years, paused by childbirth then buried under her responsibilities as a mother, wage earner, wife, and only child of ailing parents. Finally, she can taste freedom.

As Molly and her siblings gather in the close quarters of the family home over one fraught summer, shocking revelations come to light. Everyone is forced to confront the question of what it means to be a family.

This Has Been Absolutely Lovely is a story about growing up and giving in, of parents and children, of hope and failure, of bravery and defied expectation, and the question of whether it is ever too late to try again.

Maggie Anderson
Sophie blinked and looked down again quickly, relieved that everyone would think she was overcome at the prospect of reading her husband’s eulogy. Not that she was in shock, realising she had just looked right into the eyes of his mistress. Food stylist Sophie Crommelin has a beautiful life. Now that their two boys are grown up, she and her husband Matt – an acclaimed artist – are leaving London for a new start on England’s fashionably boho south coast.

But the day after the house is sold, a series of shocks leave Sophie reeling – and suddenly she’s heading off to Hastings on her own. Beau Crommelin has always been very much his father’s son. Charming, beautiful and creative, he gets on with everyone and is building a name as a jewellery designer. But after Matt’s sudden death, Beau finds himself on the wrong end of a scandal and everything he thought he knew about himself is called into question.

As Sophie and Beau try to find their feet, new friends and opportunities appear. But the biggest revelation is still to come …

A deliciously warm, witty and moving story of love, family, second chances and starting over.

Leonie Kelsall
Forced away from the Outback she both loves and loathes, bush pilot Amelia Fraser has lost everything – except her compassion. Running from tragedy, she finds herself in Settlers Bridge, determined to never let anyone get close to her again … because accepting love might mean she is ready to replace her memories. And she’ll never let that happen.

Widower Heath Brennan has learned to channel his grief into anger and self-recrimination. Haunted by the tragic accident that claimed his wife, he is a recluse, grappling with guilt and a heart full of unresolved anguish. His nineteen-year-old daughter, Charlee, battles her own demons. Once the perfect child, she’s now a troubled university student in the clutches of drug addiction. Her rage towards Heath for her mother’s death forms an impenetrable barrier between them.

As Amelia and Heath navigate the treacherous waters of grief and guilt, they learn to confront their pasts, their pain … and consider the possibility of healing. In the midst of brokenness, they might just discover that the act of reaching out could be the key to finding solace and perhaps, a way forward.

Wings Above the Mallee is a poignant tale of loss, love, and the reluctant journey towards redemption, where every character learns that mending a broken heart begins with a single, courageous step.

Jeffery Deaver
A devious collection of short stories from the master of misdirection, featuring appearances from Lincoln Rhyme and Colter Shaw.Amongst the dead ends … A murder at a crime writers’ conference. The method is entirely literary, the motive seems obvious – but can the detective who was first on scene puzzle out what’s between the lines?

Amongst the misdirections …

An intelligence analyst has the chance to get out from behind the desk and do some real spy work. But as he enters the field, he begins to realise just how out of his depth he is …

Somewhere lies the truth. A brilliant sleuth, obsessed with Sherlock Holmes’s mysteries, turns his attention to a serial killer targeting women in New York’s Central Park. But as his deductions bring him closer to his prey he starts to wonder who is doing the hunting …